SigmaEXE: Wraith of the Mavericks
by Sithking Zero
Summary: The battle has begun, and the weary Net Savors have returned home. Only... Now What? Some hinted MMXR, OCXOC, mentioned LXM. First Fanfic. Please R and R!
1. Recolections I: Rookie Mission

Author's Disclaimer: I don't own Megaman. If I did, I wouldn't be wasting my time writing these fanfics, because I could have my ideas turned into a game.

Author's note: This fic takes place sometime between the Axess and the Stream episodes of Megaman NT warrior.

Sigma.Exe

Chapter One:  
Recollections I: Rookie Mission

_To quote The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, each major Galactic Civilization goes through three distinct phases, known simply as the How, Why, and Where phases. For example: How do we Eat? Why do we Eat? And lastly, Where shall we go for lunch?_

_Unfortunately for our two heroes, they were following all three phases with their thoughts:_

_How do we kill him?_

_Why does he chase us?_

_And lastly,_

_Where shall we hide?_

Roll.Exe and Zero.Exe raced across the muddy, swampy field, desperate to reach the relative safety of the Undernet. As they ran for their lives, Roll's mind began to wander back to the beginning of our narrative, about one month prior….

It was Maylu Sakurai and Roll's first day as Net Savors. They had finally discovered that they could Cross Fuse, and had their own Synchro Chip. Already, they had their first assignment: _Meet up with fellow Net Savors Matt Stanek and Zero. they will brief and guide you on your mission._

Maylu Sakurai was a twelve-year old girl, who lived in Dentech City, in the country of Electopia. She had strawberry-red hair, and held it in place with a hair clip that showed off her personal logo, a pink heart with a triangle on the top. She wore a short pink skirt, knee-high black socks, red shoes, and a blue vest over a turquoise, long-sleeved t-shirt. She was a kind and sensitive girl, who loved music. However, she was a good netbattler (is that how you spell it? I have no idea.) and could hold her own in a fight. Her Netnavi, Roll, was a lot like her, except she was way more outgoing then her op. Roll was a pink netnavi, about the same height as Megaman, but was slightly less powerful. However, she and Megaman shared a deep bond, as was evident from the soul unison that they shared. On Roll's head was a ring that she could remove from her head to attack her enemies.

After receiving the location of their partners, they met up with Matt and Zero at the local arcade, where already, the net savors had won several Netbattles against much weaker opponents.

"Oh, yeah, Z! That's our tenth victory today!"

"We're on a roll!"

"What?"

For at that moment, Roll had jacked in, and hearing her name, had asked how Zero had known it.

Zero looked at her quizzically. "I'm sorry, but do I know you?"

"Probably not. I'm Roll.Exe, and I'm looking for a netnavi known as Zero. Have you heard of him?"

Zero almost burst out laughing at what this navi had said to him. If what she had said was true, then this navi was his partner for their mission.

Zero was taller then Roll, but not by much (only about two or three inches). He had hair, unlike most navis, but it was like Protoman's hair, only straw-colored and longer. He wore red armor. However, where Protoman's armor was completely red, Zero's was more of a red with white and green trim. His shoulder pads were white and blockish, with red trim. Around his waist was a utility belt, filled with beam sabers, weapons, sensors, and two blaster pistols. His logo was a green "Z" (you know the symbol that the Reploid Zero has on his shoulder? That's the Z I'm talking about. If you don't know, Google it.)

"Hmmmm… well, I know several signs of what he looks like and where he is. One: he has red armor with white trim, two: he has a green "Z" logo on his chest, three: he has a utility belt full of weapons, four: he's almost never apart from his netop, five: he's standing in front of you describing himself. Does that help?"

Roll grinned. "Just a little. It's a pleasure to meet you, Zero."

"No, the pleasure is all mine, Roll. I've been waiting for a long time to meet you, especially since I like to know who I'm working with, like my op. Also, you are the first custom navi to speak to me in a long time without trying to kill me, which can only be counted as a plus."

Roll searched his face for any sign of sarcasam. There was none.

Interpreting Roll's look of confusion correctly, Zero quickly stated, "I work in the undernet a lot."

"Oh."

"Actually, it's a nice place, if you're well armed and have lots of money. Some of the bars down there are pretty grubby, but once you get to know the locals, they warm right up to you."

Roll pondered this for a second, before asking, "Should we get down to business?"

Zero shook his head. "I think that we would save a lot of time if we wait for our netops to join us before we discuss the business at hand. Plus," he added, with a nervous glance around, "Matt has a much more secure place to discuss such matters. People might overhear us."

"Good point."

"Thank you."

_Real World_

Maylu had jacked in Roll, and had successfully located Zero, but she could not find Matt. It was frustrating, especially since she knew this was such an important case…

The case had reached the Net Savor's ears only reacently, but the disapearences had been going on for months. The strange thing was, all of the navis kidnapped were very powerful navis, such as Megaman, Protoman, Metalman, Sharkman, Skullman, Searchman, and others. The worst part was, there appeared to be a struggle, so it had been determined that this entity was one of vast and awesome power to be able to defeat these Navis.

Maylu mentally shook herself. She and Matt were the last of the Net Savors. The navis of all the others had been kidnapped, but considering that the kidnapper targeted only very powerful navis, that didn't help them much.

A boy, about her age, walked up to her. "Excuse me," he asked. "But are you Maylu Sakurai?"

At first, she could only stare at him in shock.

"H…How did you know my name?" she asked.

The boy grinned. "I usually make it a point to know who I'm working with, so I do my research. I'm Matt Stanek, and it's nice to meet you."

Matt was about twelve years old. He had mid-legnth, dark brown hair that went down to his eyes. He was wearing a red t-shirt with a faded yellow slogan, which read, "I Don't Care." His Gym shoes were gray and white, and he also wore khaki shorts.

Maylu frowned. "How can you reaserch a person?"

Matt let out a laugh. "I do searches about them online."

Maylu smiled. "What do you know about me?"

The boy looked thoughtful for a moment. "Let's see…. Maylu Sakurai, age thirteen, height is five-foot six, navi is Roll.EXE, and has a huge crush on Lan HikarOW!"

Maylu had stomped forcefully on his foot to shut Matt up.

Matt rubbed his foot as Maylu glared at him. "I'm not going to ask you how you made that guess," she hissed, the color of her face now a lovely shade of maroon, "But we have a mission, and I'd like to get started."

Zero glanced up at his netop. "Smooth, Dr. Phil. Real smooth."

Author's notes: This is my first fanfic, so please review. I am a bit of a newbie, so please, as little slash in your reviews as possible. Also, this chapter is rewritten on request from Magnetlord, and I will be redoing the other chapters as well. If you have any suggestions, please either review or E-mail me at 


	2. Recolections II: Where Are They Now?

Sithking Zero: I (still) don't own Megaman.

Chapter Two:

Recollections II: Where are they now?

It was half an hour later when they A.N.: I mean our heroes, and if you don't know who they are, then go back to the last chapter, you idiots arrived at Matt's house. Matt lives on the opposite side of Maylu's house from Lan, by the way.

"Wait. You live _here?_"

"Yep."

"How long have you lived here?"

Matt shrugged. "Oh, I'd say about a week."

Maylu and Roll relaxed in considerable relief. "Well, I guess that gives me an excuse for not knowing you."

Zero looked out of his PET in confusion at Maylu. "Why?"

"Because I live next door."

"Oh."

"Hey, we've got work to do, enough socializing!" Matt cried, pulling them towards the TV.

"Oh, yeah, Matt, you're gonna work _so_ well watching Megas XLR."

"Shut up, Zero. Anyways, I was going to play the DVD with the data on it."

Matt inserted the DVD into the TV, and began to play. "This is currently the only footage we have of the kidnapper. Roll, Maylu, I think you'll be interested in this, and not just because it's of a rouge navi."

The tape started. It was Megaman's homepage, the day he was kidnapped. However, another navi was already there. Roll.

As the footage dragged on, little occurred, apart from a make-out scene between Megaman and Roll, causing several different reactions among the observers:

Roll turned a stunning shade of crimson, her face literally burning. However, at the same time, a solitary tear dripped down her cheek at the thought of Megaman being kept prisoner.

Maylu whipped her head around so fast Zero thought she might crack her neck, and, well, if looks could kill, Roll would be deatomized.

Zero and Matt watched on in silence, but grinning at their partners' antics.

Matt, thankfully decided to fast forward the DVD a little, to (1) stop Roll's head from exploding from so much blood rushing to it, and (2) keep Maylu's anger at Roll under control.

"Yada yada yada… blah blah blah… geez, how can you stand to kiss him that long… AHA!"

Roll and Maylu both jumped.

"WHAT!" they yelled simultaneously.

"Here's where we see the face of the kidnapper."

He played the tape. Roll had just left Megaman's HP, so he flopped down on his bed, sighing contentedly.

That's when the world shattered.

With a roar like a bat outta hell, an explosion ripped through the HP, tearing a hole in the fabric of space. What was more frightening, however, was the navi that jumped out of the breach in the laws of physics.

It was huge. It was easily twice the size of Gutsman, and over eight hundred times as powerful. The head was completely bald, with a red jewel planted firmly in the forehead. His sloped forehead dropped down to two blazingly green eyes, with no pupil or white, only iris. The chestplate had yellow hue, and the crest was a sinisterly drawn greek symbol that looked like it was made of blood. His blue armor with yellow trim shed flames like water, and a tree-trunk sized arm was pointing at Megaman, and was apparently charging up some sort of attack of blue energy.

However, Megaman had not received a rep as being the best of the best by being caught off guard by every yahoo who pointed an attack at him. Leaping from the bed, he squeezed off three charged shots at the mysterious figure.

Which did absolutely no good at all.

Whatever the freak navi was wearing, it _absorbed_ all the attacks, adding their energy to their dark wearer. Moving so fast that no one could track him, he grabbed Megaman and proceeded to blast the blue bomber at point-blank range.

The cry of agony was frozen in Megaman's throat. The strange weapon spread energy across the Blue Bomber's chest like an oil slick across a pond. Within seconds, the energy completely covered his body, growing in brightness and intensity. The navi writhed under the coat, but slowly, his struggles lessened. Soon, he stopped moving entirely.

The giant navi slowly moved towards Megaman, a grin spreading across his proud, ugly face. Retrieving a gadget from his belt, the gargantuan navi ripped open a gash in the universe. Grasping his "prize," the criminal stepped through the rip as it closed behind him. Nothing, save the scorch marks from the Megabuster, gave the slightest indication that a fight had happened.

In the real world and the Cyber world, the humans and navis gaped in shock.

Zero opened and closed his mouth several times before speaking. "This," he stuttered, "Is not what you would call…a good thing."

Roll looked at him. "As much as I think that that was a very stupid thing to say, I have to agree with you."

Sithking Zero: ummmm… Hi! Please review, and Megas XLR is not mine, either. Forgot to mention that…


	3. Okay, We Might Be In Trouble Now

Sithking Zero: I am still not the possessor of Megaman or Capcom. Unless I'm the heir to the company, I probably won't own it.

I GOT MY DRIVERS PERMIT! WOOT! TEH BADNESS!

Chapter 3:

Oookaaay… we might be in trouble now…

Matt and Maylu gaped at the screen in shock and horror. Megaman had been one of the most powerful navis, and some guy had waltzed in and mopped the floor with him, then waltzed off without so much as a scratch on him, also kidnapping Megaman in the process.

"Ummmmmmmm…." Matt said. "As stupid as Zero's statement is, I am forced to agree. 'We're gonna need a bigger boat.'"

Maylu looked at him quizzically. "What! Why would we need a bigger boat? How will that help us?"

"Sorry, my family and I like to quote from movies. That quote was from the movie 'Jaws,' when the guy sees that their ship is not big enough to handle the shark they're hunting. I meant it represents our current situation."

Zero nodded solemnly, noting the convoluted wisdom in Matt's words. "As much as I hate to admit it, though I want to deny it, Roll and I have nowhere near the amount of power necessary to beat this cretin. I also think that even my cousins-"

"Zero…" Matt glared warningly.

However, Roll and Maylu exchanged glances, noting this conversation for future discussion.

Matt cleared his throat. "If you and Roll would like anything to eat, we could probably get something for you while we discuss our next course of action."

Maylu nodded, and a quick lunch was in order. As the humans ate their lunch, Zero took Roll for a tour of his HomePage (HP).

"…and on your left is the library, training rooms, and my bed rooms. And to your right, is… oh crap…"

For at that moment, a huge red and gray mass slammed into Zero, bowling him over.

Zero wrestled with it briefly, then kicked it off.

"Um, Roll, I'd like to introduce you to the Rhakshi. They are the fiercest navis in existence, and each has a different power. There are six, but none have individual names, so we call them by their colors. Meet Red. Red, meet Roll."

The Navi took one look at Roll, and such a fierce blast of terror rocketed through her that she ran for her life. She managed to get halfway down the corridor before two pairs of strong, skeletal arms grabbed her and forced her down. She was on the ground, staring up into their hideous, shelled, reptilian faces.

"Whoo are Yooo, intruuuder? Why have yooo come here? YOO MUU-"

Zero then proceded to utter a strange, beeping code (A.N.: think R2-D2).

The Rhakshi backed down immiediately, like they were programmed to. Zero then crouched down and helped Roll to her feet. She blushed lightly. "Thank you."

"Ah, you're welcome. Sorry, they are usually ordered to guard the base, and, umm, they can be a little, well, enthusiastic, to say the least. They usually don't like being so sedentary. We almost never give them any assignments."

"Why?"

"Remember the Great Undernet Massacare?"

Roll winced. The Great Undernet Massacare happened almost two years ago. Intensely powerful beings had rampaged through the Undernet, causing huge amounts of devastation, cutting links, deleting navis, and general mayhem and destruction. The total damage had been quoted as about three trillion Zenny.

"Umm…yes?"

"Their fault."

Roll gasped. "AND YOU LET THEM LIVE?"

Zero shrugged. "Why not let them live? They are good allies, and it was a simple error that caused the problem. Why scrap a perfectly good design when only minor changes are nesscecary?"

In the real world…

"So, Maylu, how long have you been a Net Savor?"

"About a month. They've been pretty desperate, ever since the kidnappings started to take place; they're still trying to refill their ranks."

"I kind of figured that much. I mean, some of the navis in the recruiting line were so weak, they had trouble beating simple met viruses, let alone the big guys in the undernet. Also, there seemed to be very few custom navis there; Zero was the only one."

Maylu sighed. "What I'm interested in is that this guy kidnapped Megaman."

"Why?"

"Well… you'd want to get navis that could be a threat out of the way, but… I don't understand the logic in keeping them alive."

Matt pondered this. "Perhaps this guy is merely collecting their data. I mean, remember the Grave Virus Beast? Or Bass? Perhaps he's like that."

Maylu sighed as she poured herself more milk. "This isn't going to be easy."

Matt gave a short laugh. "That, my friend, is the understatement of a lifetime."

Author's notes: Sorry that this was only a filler chapter. More action to come! Oh, and this is not a Zero/Roll fic. Just in case you were wondering.


	4. In which the search for the Missing

Sithking Zero: I now own Megaman. And if you believe that, I have an authentic ICBM to sell you from Russia's stockpile.

Chapter 4:

In which the search for the Missing Navis begins

The four of them had been searching for almost one whole week.

"Zero, we've searched every room in net city. Ten Times. Can we just go home now?"

"Not yet, Matt, we've still got to search the park."

Matt and Maylu groaned simultaneously. It was bad enough to have to stay inside and work during the beautiful summer, but Zero had decided to go over the entire Net City with a fine-tooth comb. Worse yet, Roll had decided to join him. The netops spent most of the time worrying about whether or not their navis would be captured, and had their fingers on the jack-out buttons at all times.

"Hey, Zero."

Zero looked up at his human. "Yeah, Matt?'

"There's a new invention. It's called 'taking a break.' Try it."

Zero chose to ignore the sarcastic comment, instead concentrated on the patch of bushes that he had not yet investigated.

On his way there, however, he tripped on something. A very deep something that was strangely oval.

Zero nearly gasped in shock. There, underneath his left foot, was a gigantic footprint. Easily the size of a sled, the footprint was as deep as Zero's ankle was tall. Zero stared at it in shock and horror. Then, he realized in triumph, that his information had been correct after all…

(**_FLASHBACK'D!)_**

It was a dark and stormy night in Net City. A.N.: Jeez, I'm starting to sound like Snoopy… two hooded figures strode hesitantly up to a bar, one that was, quote: "the rowdiest and densest hive of villainy outside of the Undernet itself," unquote. Naturally, the two netnavis were slightly nervous, but they continued on inside, and immediately ducked as a chair whizzed into the location where their heads had been only a half-second before. Gingerly, the taller of the two navis picked his way through the piles of garbage, the constant brawling of heel- and custom navis, and unconscious bodies, with his shorter companion trailing slightly behind.

Once free of the rabble, the taller navi strode up to the bar, then motioned to his companion to join him. Hesitantly, the navi walked up to the bar and sat down next to her taller companion on a very worn and battered bar stool, which bore all the unmistakable signs of having been bashed to pieces several times, and was looking much the worse for wear.

The shorter one leaned over to it's companion.

"Zero?"

"Yes, Roll?"

"Are you sure that this is such a good idea?"

"Absolutely. This is where I go to get all my quality information about the internet. Plus, the barman's a friend of mine and one of the most connected navis in the whole of the Cybernet. If he says it's true, it's darn well true."

Roll seemed skeptical, and the feelings did not subside with the appearance of the bartender.

The guy was massive. Looking like the fusion of a really fat guy and an alien, he looked almost human, except for his four massive arms and his crest on his chest.

Leaning very close to Roll, he yelled at her over the massive brawl directly at her.

"Well? Ya gonna order summat, or'l I have to break summat?"

Zero wisely chose that moment to lower his hood and comment.

"Actually, Dax, we were looking for information that you might have for us. Could you please enlighten us on a few things?"

Dax just stared at Zero for a moment, then picked both Zero and Roll up with his bare hands and carried them into a back room.

Dax locked the door, put up a silence shield (prevents evesdropping), then Let out a roar of joy and grabbed Zero in a bonecrushing hug.

"Zero, my boy! Yeh've gotten big! Ah mean, lookit yerself! Yer almost as big as me!"

Dax spoke in a booming, rich, yet tough-sounding voice.

"Yeah, Dax, I'm getting big, but two things. One: I don't think that I'll ever be as big as you, and two: I won't get much bigger if you crush me to death."

Dax reluctantly set Zero back down on the ground, and was about to sit down when he seemed to notice Roll for the first time.

"Ah, Zero, I see you've got a lady friend for yerself now! I admire yer choice; I mean, she's quite a looker-"

Zero and Roll responded at the same time, a flush advancing over their faces.

"HE/SHE IS NOT MY BOY/GIRL FRIEND!"

Dax just winked at them.

"Sure yeh aren't. Anyways, I've heard a lot about yeh, Zero. Becoming a Net Savor, and yeh've already got yer first assignment! Tell, whazahell is it?"

Zero grimaced. "I've got to track down the guy who's responsible for all of the kidnappings. What do you know about this symbol?"

Zero held up a sketchpad, the kidnapper's logo drawn on the paper.

Dax stared at Zero, then spoke slowly, and with fear in his voice. "I don't like this. Rumors have surrounded that navi since the first kidnappings. Even Shadowman's afraid of him, and you know that he ain't easy at all to scare. Anyways…"

"they say that this guy's name is…"

Dax looked around in fear.

"Sigma.EXE."

Dax's courage seemed to go up a couple of notches, now that the fearful name had been spoken.

"Zero, you and yer girl best stay away from him. Yeh'll only get killed. But, if ye must, then yeh should look in the Park. He was last seen there."

After thanking Dax for his hospitality, Zero and Roll quickly exited the bar and left for the Civilized net.

(**_END FLASHBACK!_**)

Zero carefully followed the gigantic footprints to a section of bushes. Pushing them aside, he made an astonishing discovery. In the bushes, he found a very suspicious hatch.

"Hey Roll, come check this out." Zero called.

Roll, who was not taking the kidnapping of Megaman well at all, stopped her interrogation of a six-year old navi to investigate.

Zero gave a tight grin. "Recognize anything?"

Roll gasped in horror. There, on a panel previously covered in weeds, was a gigantic Greek symbol for the letter sigma. The same logo had shone from the kidnapper's chest.

Zero opened a communications line to his netop. "Hey, Matt?"

"Da, comrade?"

"I think we've found something."

"Okay, what is it?"

Zero sighed in exasperation. "It's obviously a-"

"No, you dolt, I mean your head is in the way of the camera."

"Oh. Oops." Zero laughed embarrassedly.

"Okay, Zero, Roll, be careful. We don't know what's behind there!"

Zero gave Maylu a reassuring look. "Don't worry about it. Roll and I will proceed calmly and cauti-"

Zero stopped, midsentence, in a combination of shock, horror, and amusement, as he watched Roll rip the twelve-hundred pound chunk of metal from its hinges and throw it twenty feet away, before diving headfirst down the hole.

Zero shook himself, then continued. "Or, we could do it Roll's way, and go Rambo on whoever is down there."

Zero glanced up at his Netop. "Hey, Matt?"

"Yeah?"

"I'm going in. I'm taking the Rhakshi for backup."

"Copy that, Z."

"Oh, and Matt?"

"Yes?"

"If I'm not back in five minutes…"

Both netops leaned in close to the PET screens.

"…Just wait longer!"

Before either could yell at the red-armored navi, he was gone.

A.N.: A Milky Way bar to whoever gets the quote Zero said at the end of the chapter. Please Review!


	5. Our Heros Can Handle Anything

Sithking Zero: WAZZUP! Megaman is not mine. Rockman is not mine. Capcom is not mine. Lawyers, please go away. Don't sue me!

Chapter Five:

Our Heroes Can Handle Anything…

Thudding to the bottom with the grace of a ninja, Roll immediately fried both the guards waiting at the bottom of the shaft. Her eyes blazed in anger, burning with hatred for whoever took her friend.

That is, until a skeletal robotic hand clamped itself over her mouth, and anger was replaced with horror.

"Sssshut uup, it'sssss onleeee usssss! Zeeero brought usss here assss backup."

"Sonsamsm mandlsna man ma ns masm."

"Whaat?"

"I said, somehow, that doesn't give me great comfort."

"Oh, ssso sssorreee." The navi hissed sarcastically. "We Rhakshi cannot help whooo weee are."

"They are right. And anyways, we need to talk, Roll."

Roll relaxed slightly, hearing Zero's voice.

"Please, let's sit down for a moment."

Both sat down on the cold, stone floor.

"Roll, you've been acting like a real jerk over the past few days."

"I HAVE NOT!" she cried indignently. "Why would you even say anything like that?"

Zero glared at her coldly. "You're acting like you're possessed by a demon. You are very antisocial, you are taking stupid risks, you're barely sleeping-"

"I am so sleeping!"

"Roll, last night, to make sure you didn't go hunting for this guy, the Rhakshi had to club you over the back of the head with their spears. Repeatedly. You need to calm down."

"CALM DOWN? HOW CAN I CALM DOWN WH-"

At this point, Zero slapped her in the face.

She looked at him for a second, then turned away. "Thanks. I needed that."

Zero looked puzzled for a second. Then his face dawned with calm understanding. He leaned in close and whispered, "It's Megaman, isn't it?"

Tears were running freely down Roll's face.

Zero continued to whisper. "Let me tell you something. You are not the only one who's lost someone to this guy. I lost both of my cousins to this psycho. Trust me, they are not pushovers. Only a few netnavis are more powerful then them."

Roll wiped her tears away. "Who were they?"

Zero looked around the room, then turned back to her. "What you are about to hear is classified information. You can't tell anyone this, understand?"

She sniffed, and nodded.

"My cousins are legendary, or, at least, one is. My cousins are feared in most of the undernet."

Zero took a deep breath, and continued. "Roll, this is not easy to say, but you must promise to believe me."

"Roll, my cousins are Starefire.EXE and her brother…

Zero paused a moment, then said the one name that all navis feared.

"…Bass."

Roll nearly fainted in utter horror.

Zero quickly launched into an explanation. "Roll, the Bass that kidnapped Megaman and attacked the Grave Virus Beast was a copy of the true Bass, who is ten times as powerful. The real guy is actually quite nice; I play poker with him, Starfire, and one of the Rhakshi every other Tuesday."

"Zero, why didn't you tell me? Or Maylu? I mean, what would be the harm?"

Roll was nearly inconsolable; she just learned that her partner was related to the most powerful Navi ever.

"To avoid what you're doing right now. I mean, come on. Who would take this rationally? I had pretty much the same reaction that you did. Now, come on, we've got to get this guy and save your boyfriend and my cousins."

And with that, they both walked into the room the two dead guards at the start of the chapter had been guarding.

Sithking Zero: Zero's second biggest secret is revealed! His biggest one will be revealed later. Oh, and to use Starfire, sister of Bass, in your Fanfics, you must talk to Blitz Chick, another author, who is also my sister. She owns Starfire and her Netop, Sam Rebina, and you must get permission from her to use her. Otherwise, you will be hunted down and beaten with a long, blunt object (by her, then me, because she will have beaten me first for not warning you.) I don't like the method that Zero used to shut Roll up, but it's the best thing I could think of, and that's what I would want to have done to me if I started acting crazy and hysterical. I'm sorry. Please don't flame me, I feel bad already. Please Review!


	6. Except This

Sithking Zero: All your base are belong to us. All Capcom's Megaman are not belong to me.

Chapter Six:

…Except This.

As Roll, Zero, and the Rhakshi hiked down the long corridor, one of the Rhakshi leaned in close to Roll. Shockingly, he spoke in a highly cultured, British accent, instead of the usual reptilian hiss.

"You know, Zero wasn't telling the whole truth."

Roll was not sure how to react. "What do you mean, and why are you speaking like that?"

The creature smiled. "I was designed for more detective work, and I work with people more, so Matt decided to give me a more pleasant voice." (A.N.: Also, I am sick of typing like that, and needed a change.)

"As to your second question, I mean that Zero lost more then his cousins. He actually had a-" he looked left and right. "-a girlfriend."

Roll nodded knowingly. "Oh, and he wants to impress her?"

"No. Zero was targeted by this guy, but he was on a date. Zero and the perp fought, but Zero inevitably lost. As the kidnapper fired his capture-beam, Zero's girl took the bullet for him. She was kidnapped by this freak. Zero's not taking it well. Better then you, but not well."

At this point, conversation stopped, as the small rescue party had entered a huge amphitheatre. The place was crowded by hundreds and hundreds of tanks, like the kind used to store specimens.

"Gentlemen, (and Roll,) I think we've arrived."

One of the Rhakshi walked up to Zero and clubbed him in the back of the helmet with his hand. "Well, duh, Geniussss boyy. Where did youuu think we weeereee?"

Carefully, the small party began to enter the forest of tanks.

Zero gave his final instructions. "Grab a partner. We're going to take different paths, and if one of us doesn't make it, the other will survive."

Zero was then nearly tackled by Roll, who did _not_ want to be with the Rhakshi.

Ten minutes later, the parties had begun their search.

"Zero?"

"Yeah?"

"What's in these tanks?"

"I don't know. Why?"

"Just wondering."

Zero looked thoughtful. "Why are these tanks even here? I mean, they look like they've been adapted to provide power of some kind to somewhere…"

"Maybe this will help," Roll commented as she stepped up to a cleverly disguised control panel. The panel had three buttons: Tank Intensity, Base Controls, and Options.

"Try 'options,'" Zero called.

Tentatively, Roll tapped 'Options.' Immediately, a holographic pad popped up with many different options, such as: Intercom, Security Cameras, Microsoft Word, Solitaire, Coffee options, _Mega Man Zero 2,_ and Polarize tanks: Y/N.

Roll selected the last one, changing it from Y to N.

The change in the room was obvious. Instead of the huge room being filled with large green tanks, the room was now filled with large clear tanks. However, what was inside the tanks was most interesting…

"Zero…"

"Roll, please tell me that I'm not seeing what I think I'm seeing."

"Do you see that all the tanks have suddenly become clear, and that inside each one, is a netnavi?"

"Yes."

"Then you are seeing what you think you're seeing."

"insert very long string of profanity."

The room was totally filled with tanks. And each one contained a Netnavi.

"Zero?"

"Yes?"

"Didn't you and the Rhakshi count about two thousand tanks when we came in here?"

"Insert even longer string of profanity."

A loud sigh was heard from behind the two navis.

"Ah, I see I have visitors! And witnesses to the creation of my great maverick army."

"Roll, that wasn't you, was it? 'Cause if it was, your voice just dropped about thirteen octaves."

"No….."

In a scene straight out of, "Planes, Trains, and Automobiles," Zero and Roll looked at each other, then slowly turned to see who was behind them.

The Navi behind them was huge. Easily twice the size of Gutsman, with blue and yellow armor, the navi was glaring down on them with a fiendish grin. A Greek symbol, looking like a sideways "W," (apparently etched in blood) glowed like a dying, unclean ember from his crest.

The huge, bald head leaned down to the two navis, and spoke in his most menacing fashion.

"Ah, Net Savors. It's been too long since I defeated one of you."

The navi stared at them for a minute, then began to charge up the blue energy.

"Greetings, mere mortals, for I am known as…" he paused for effect. "SIGMA.EXE!" He roared with the volume of a freight train.

Roll and Zero looked at Sigma, then at each other for a second.

Then, the bloodcurdling screaming began.

Sithking Zero: 00 Good heavens, that was crappy. Well, the plot advanced a bit…

Please Review! Reviews…. They are my… my… my preciousssssssss…..


	7. In which the Dark designs of Sigma are

Sithking Zero: Capcom and Megaman not mine.

Sithking Zero: Thank you to all who reviewed my story! I can't list them here. I have two new stories: A Code Lyoko/ Megaman Crossover, and a Fic that I have taken over for Hydraman.exe. ON WITH THE LONG-AWAITED SEVENTH CHAPTER!

Chapter 7:

In which the dark designs of Sigma are revealed

The two last Net Savors dashed behind the nearest tank, just barely dodging a burst of energy.

They had been fighting with Sigma for almost twenty minutes now.

It had about as much of a point as trying to teach a rock to recite one of Shel Silverstein's poems.

Each attack and parry had gone something like this:

The net savors would blast at Sigma.

Sigma would dodge/absorb their attacks.

Sigma would blast our heroes.

It would hurt them.

When Zero and Roll had attacked him, they hoped for vengeance on their friends, family, and lovers.

Now, they hoped to escape with their lives.

"You know, I used to be like you two, Zero and Roll."

The two navis huddled together in fear of the dynamo of energy that was Sigma.

"I, too, was once a navi who wanted nothing more then the simplicity of peace. I, too, once loved as both of you had. But then, I lost my love. She was smote down in the Great Undernet Massacre. Not, however, by those stupid Rhakshi you have, Zero. A mugger took advantage of the situation, and killed her as she was trying to escape. I was crushed. I took it much the way that you fools did. I wandered around, trying to make sense of life. Then, shortly after the fool Hikari and his weakling Megaman beat Laserman, I found him."

Roll and Zero exchanged glances, trying to guess who he spoke of.

"I found the Darkloid that you knew as Shademan. He was in fact the same one who killed my beloved. I killed him. But before he died, he taught me a valuable life leasson…."

With this, Sigma gestured with his hand. As one, each of the ten thousand tanks in each of the five rooms of Sigma's cave opens. Out of the corner of Zero's eye, he could see the Rhakshi slink off towards the entrance.

"What Shademan taught me was that some are born to rule…"

Another gesture. The ten thousand navis stood as one, and began to march, emotionlessly, to their master.

"…And that some are born to obey."

Roll's heart leaped at that moment, for Megaman made his entrance. She waved happily to him, hoping that he, of all people, would help her and Zero.

These hopes at the sight of the one she loved vanished at what happened next, replaced with a cold blackness, infinite horror, and despair.

Megaman kneeled down and kissed Sigma's feet.

"What do you want us to do, my lord?" came the oddly subservient, if not slightly cold, voice of Megaman.

Sigma smiled fondly at his waiting servants, recruits, and soldiers. Then he turned to Roll and Zero.

"You see, I captured these fools, tallentless and stupid as they are, because they fall into the second category. Now, even you two must realize that you two can't stop us. No one can. The government can't fight against their own Navis. And certainly not the three greatest Net Savors ever." At this, Sigma politely gestured to Megaman, Protoman, and Searchman.

"Surely, even you cannot help but feel fear. Feel it wrapping around you. You will die, or join me."

Zero, defiant to the last, simply stated, "or, we go with option three."

Sigma looked amused. "and what is option three?"

Zero had flames burning in his eyes. "Me and Roll will tear you into tiny pieces. Then, we'll go into net city, and I'll buy chocolate shakes for everybody."

Sigma's eyes turned cold. "Thanks, but I prefer you dying."

"Somehow, Siggy, I don't picture that happening today."

"Oh? And why not?"

"Because our reinforcements will crush you! Here they come now!"

Sigma spun on his heel. Nothing was behind him but his own loyal soldiers.

Sigma turned back to Zero. However, Zero was already gone, as was Roll.

"Having trouble, Siggy?"

Sigma was instantly afraid. Turning slowly, his dread was fulfilled by the navi standing behind him.

Standing at six-foot two, this navi wore all black with orange stripes. His helmet was almost like a spiked Football helmet, and his gauntlets were orange with spikes all over them.

"Ppp…please….I need more time! I will kill the one you hate! Please! Don't report me to-"

"Do not speak his name, you fool!" the navi hissed. "No, I will not report you. But my master grows impatient. You must kill, or the master will be mad"

"And the girl? What shall I do with her?"

"She shall make a fine trophy…. To constantly remind Zero of where he failed."

Sithking Zero: Wow. This is very bad for our heros. How will they survive the Maverick Army? Who could be so bad as to make SIGMA afraid? Why does our shadowy villain have a grudge against Zero? All shall be revealed. Please Review!


	8. Maverick Attack!

Sithking Zero: Megaman is not mine. 'Nuff said.

Author Note: I might raise the fic's rating due to some… shall we say, more vulgar language and visuals, like actual fight scenes with deletion and stuff like that. However, as I said, this is not a Roll/Zero fic. I believe that Roll should either be with Megaman (In EXE and Legends though I don't really care about the Legends series) or with Bass (in the original series.) So there will be no romance between the two. I will write a chapter in the sequel about Lan/Maylu, so those fans will be happy. To Maylu/Chaud people…. You are all freaks. That's my opinion, and I'm sticking to it.

It has also come to my attention that the navi in the last chapter was similar to Gridman from Battle Network 5. Sorry, fans of Gridman, this was merely accidental. Honestly, I've only seen him in action maybe once or twice before.

Chapter 8:

Maverick Attack!

As the two last net savors in existence raced from the site of their previous battle with Sigma, they reflected on the important things in life.

Like how they had had their rears handed to them on a platter by one of the most powerful navis ever.

Eventually, Roll pulled Zero into a shadowy alcove, completely hidden from view.

Both navis just sat there, panting, for a moment.

Roll was the first one to speak.

"Do you think we're safe?" she panted.

Zero just shot her a look.

"We're in the middle of an underground, enemy fortress. There is no way out except through the main entrance, we just got our backsides handed to us on a platter, and there's about ten thousand navis who want us dead. Trust me, Roll, if we're safe, then it's a new definition of "safe" that I'm not familiar with."

Roll rolled her eyes. "I mean," she stated with exasperation, "Do you think that we can rest for a bit without getting deleted?"

Zero shrugged.

After a few minutes, in which both navis took the time to rest after their catastrophic battle with Sigma, the pair of Net Savors dashed down the narrow corridors.

"So, It is guaranteed, then?"

"Yes, those… BEASTS… are in hall THX-1138."

"They shall be destroyed, master…"

"They had better… Protoman."

With a flash of a white ponytail, the red warrior dashed away.

Roll and Zero were running down hallway N4T3 when suddenly, a high, wailing screech was heard.

The pitch was so high as to crack the decorative mirrors that flanked both sides of the hallway, and forced our heroes to clap their hands over their hearing receptors.

Simultaneously, our favorite two navis looked around and muttered, "What the…"

Their answer was given with astonishing swiftness.

With the force of a locomotive, a huge crash behind Zero and Roll made them spin on their heels and gasp in horror at the sight ahead.

In front of them was a Rhakshi. However, it was obvious that it had fared very badly. All across the specially designed armor, huge gashes and cuts bled the precious, precious data from deep within his core.

Roll felt a pang of sypmpathy. The poor thing had scared her to death at Zero's HP, but now… it was as helpless as a puppy.

The Rhakshi looked up, saw the two navis, and extended his hand towards them.

"P…please…" He rasped, his white color now getting darker by the second, one leg now totally de-rezzed, "R… run, L…lord Zero. B…but,"

Zero crouched over the dying navi.

The Rhakshi spoke in barely a whisper. "A…venge… my… brothers…"

It was the last thing that the beautiful creature ever said in his life.

As soon as he had stopped speaking, his arms and leg loosened completely, finally losing all cohesion and disintegrating.

A computer-generated voice announced, "Rhakshi White: Deleted."

"Pathetic."

Roll turned around slowly. Standing in the hole where the now-dead Hunter had flown through, was Megaman's oldest rival.

The red-clad net savor, Protoman.

The two groups stared at one another before Protoman gave off a decidedly dark smirk.

"Pity. Master Sigma was hoping to kill you off himself, you slime."

He gave a clearly theatrical sigh.

"Oh, well, at least things are going ahead of schedule."

And with that, he attacked.

Surprisingly to him, it was not Zero, whom he had heard was the better fighter, who parried his blade.

The pink-and-red navi, Roll, was holding a spear, obviously pilfered from the corpse of the slain Rhakshi.

Protoman quickly assessed the situation. Roll had her hands on a powerful weapon. However, she was inexperienced with the spear's proper usage, as was fairly obvious from her posture and grip on the weapon.

A small grin formed on his face.

With that, the red warrior disarmed (not literally) Roll, and deflected her Roll Blast attack she launched at him.

Roll watched helplessly as her attacks were knocked to one side, destroyed, or dodged completely.

Suddenly, she had an idea.

Spinning around, she dashed around Protoman's side, charged up her Roll Arrow, and fired.

It was a narrow hallway. There was no room to dodge. And not nearly enough time to block.

A blast of power slammed into Protoman's blade, but, shockingly, split into two separate blasts which missed him entirely.

A smirk formed on the face of the now-evil Net Navi.

"Power without control is pointless, Roll. Chaud taught me that."

However, his smirk slid off his face like molten butter on a griddle.

Bisecting his symbol was a green triangle. Which looked suspiciously like the end of…

Protoman briefly looked towards the logo, then behind him.

Zero was holding what looked like a lightsaber in his hands. The blade was cylindrical for a few centimeters, then swept back, then tapered into a diamond-shaped blade.

Zero gave a twist, and the blade ripped through more of the vital programs that held the navi together.

"Consider my friends avenged." Came Zero's voice, cold as iron.

Protoman gave a slight gasp of shock, then de-rezzed.

Roll and Zero were alone in the corridor when a computerized voice stated, calmly, emotionlessly, "Protoman: Deleted."

Zero glanced at Roll, then deactivated his blade.

"C'mon, Roll," he said simply, "let's get outta here."

Sigma gave a snarl.

"I… DON'T… BELIEVE IT!" He roared.

"How could two rejects defeat the best netnavi in the net? He has the most combat experience out of anyone here!"

"Sir," an emotionless voice came form behind the sinister navi.

Sigma glanced back. "What?"

"We're ready to attack. What are your orders?"

Sigma stared at the navi for a second. Then, a slow grin made its way onto his proud, ugly face.

"Begin the attack in three days. Failure will not be tolerated. You shall lead them. NOW GO!"

Bowing slightly, the green navi made his departure, gun barrel glinting in the dim light.

Turning away, Sigma turned towards a black circle on the ground. Pressing a button on his console, the Maverick Lord stood at attention.

A navi appeared. Roughly six feet, two inches tall, with an almost-spherical helmet, orange gauntlets, and orange stripes.

"Excellent. You have answered. How goes project Biomav?" asked the navi in a sibilant hiss.

"We will acquire the data in three days, dread lord."

"And Zero and Roll?"

Sigma winced. He had been hoping to avoid this subject as long as possible…

"They escaped, supreme one."

The navi seemed to consider this for a moment.

"No matter. They shall die. We cannot be stopped now."

"A thousand pardons, feared one, but…"

"A question bites at your tongue."

"Yes. I understand why the Dimensional Area data is necessary, but… Why the blueprints for the net-transfer laser?"

"I shall need them."

And with that, the hologram faded away.

Sithking Zero: DUN DUN DUUUUNNN! It's all coming together now! Oh, and if you get the hidden joke about the hallways, please post it in your reviews.

READ AND REVIEW!


	9. Happy Thanksgiving!

Sithking Zero: Nothing but the laptop I'm using is mine.

Chapter 9:

Happy Thanksgiving!

It was business as unusual here on the set of Sigma.EXE: Wraith of the Mavericks.

Megaman, Zero, and Protoman were trying to see, using their swords, who could carve a turkey better…

Sigma, Bass, and Starfire were in a huge fight, and onlookers were running to the nearest bomb shelter…

Shadowy Villian guy was being evil and trying to take Maylu and Roll's specially prepared Cranberry stuffing…

Matt and the Rhakshi were playing video games (Star Wars: Battlefront II.)…

And Sithking Zero was writing on his laptop.

At precisely 5:00, Maylu rang a small, crystal bell.

"Time for Dinner!" she called out.

Almost immediately, she had to dive out of the way as navi and human alike raced for the table, vying for the "Hot Seats" (the seats nearest the turkey and gravy.)

Roll called out, "Who would like to say grace?"

Megaman quickly accepted.

Everyone bowed their heads in quiet reverence.

Megaman began.

"Lord, we thank you for your continued blessings on us, and let us thank you for our family, friends and loved ones, that Sithking Zero has decided not to kill me off yet, and that there are fire extinguishers for when Protoman set fire to the turkey."

There was a rounding "Amen," especially for the last one.

After three hours of eating, almost everyone was asleep.

Except Me.

Stepping quietly over the snoring bodies of netnavi and human alike, I slowly make my way out. As soon as I exit, I turn to the sky and say to all my readers, reviewers, and fans, a resounding,

"HAPPY THANKSGIVING!"

"Now get off of my lawn before I get the napalm."

-Sithking Zero


	10. Gutsman's Defeat

Sithking Zero: I don't own Megaman. Lawyers go away. Capcom owns Megaman.

Sorry I haven't updated in a while. I have been writing more to my two other stories, Heart of a Warrior (a Megaman/Code Lyoko Crossover) and Accidentally in Love, (a oneshot romance Code Lyoko songfic.) If you like Code Lyoko, then please check them out. Oh, and this goes for all my stories: WHY IN THE UNIVERSE ARE YOU PEOPLE NOT REVIEWING? IT'S SO EASY! GO TO THE BOTTOM OF THE PAGE AND HIT THE BUTTON LABELED, "SUBMIT REVIEW"!

Okay, I'm back. Merry Christmas, Happy Hanukah (REALLY sorry If I spelled that wrong), Happy Kwanza (again, really sorry if I spelled that wrong.), and a Happy New year to all!

Chapter 10:

We now return you to your previously scheduled story

To review, in the last chapter, it was Thanksgiving, and everybody was… wait… OH! The story! Oh, that. Umm…

Well, when we last left our daring heroes, they had just fought and killed the first of the Maverick Army generals, the former net savor Protoman. Fangirls, please don't kill me.

Meanwhile, Sigma.exe had a chat with his boss, mysterious shadowy figure. It appears that there are larger projects going on that we are not aware of…

It was two days since Roll and Zero escaped from the clutches of the Maverick Lord, Sigma. Since their escape, they had to be subjugated to numerous inquisitions, healing programs, and endless press for details by their netops.

Roll stared out her PET screen ruefully. She had not gotten any decent sleep in five days, and she was not likely to anytime soon. Not after what she had seen…

(Flashback)

It was five minutes since Protoman had died. Roll and Zero were running as fast as they possibly could towards what looked like an exit. Both net-warriors were drenched in sweat, covered with more then your average share of bruises, cuts, dirt, and slime.

In the words of a much more cheerful Roll, "Man, we need a bath."

In the words of the current Roll, (…pant, pant…)

Sadly, even though it looked to be an easy escape, it was not to be.

With an angry roar, a huge shape rocketed from nowhere, slamming into the two navis, knocking them away from the portal to the sweet, sweet freedom of net city.

With a growl that would have put a pack of starving wolves to crying shame, the figure, obscured by the darkness that had suddenly descended over the corridor, slammed his fists into the ground.

For a second, nothing happened, prompting an exhausted Zero to crack, "Okay… That really hurt, but really, what-"

However, at that moment, a shockwave of deadly energy slammed into the long-haired navi.

In the light of the shockwave, however brief, Roll was able to identify the identity of the attacker.

She didn't like it.

"GUTSMAN?" she cried, agonized over her oafish friend's capture.

To her surprise (and to Zero's, who is later quoted as to saying, "That thing can talk?") Gutsman spoke. However, it was not with his usual brutish, unsophisticated manner. Rather, it was with a cold, calculating voice that makes you feel so unclean, it makes you want to have to wash yourself off.

"Hello, Dear Roll. How are you?"

He finished off this with a cruel smirk, or at least, as much of a smirk as one can pull off when one has a box for a mouth.

"So…" he continued in that same, cold, deep voice, while slowly walking towards the unconscious Zero. "this is your partner?" he gave a dark chuckle. "How he beat Protoman, I will know. One of my shockwaves and he winds up like this?"

"What happened to you, Gutsman?" Roll whispered "What did Sigma do to you?"

Gutsman gave a long, deep-bellied laugh. "Why, my dear, I have become stronger. Smarter. Faster. I'm no longer able to be picked on by anyone, Can't you see? The Maverick Virus-"

"The what?"

"The Maverick Virus, Roll, it's what Master Sigma used on us. It opened our eyes. We no longer have to worry anymore, Roll. The virus allows us to protect ourselves, and Master Sigma takes care of the rest."

Roll scowled at her friend. "Don't you mean, the virus enslaves you to that scum, but gives you power?"

It was now Gutsman's turn to scowl in displeasure. "The virus is not evil, Roll, surely someone like you can see this. It only makes us equal to one another. Why can't you see the good that this will do the world?"

He gave off a huge, theatrical sigh.

"Too bad that you can't see. You see, Roll, I was given an order by Lord Sigma."

Roll gulped.

"Yes, despite my… strong feelings for you," and as he said this he eyed her over.

"…I have been ordered to kill you and your partner to prove my devotion to the great cause of the mavericks. You understand, don-"

At that moment, Roll launched a devastating attack, landing a spinning kick to his neck, face, and chest.

The effect was kind of like an old oak tree falling down, complete with a massive crash and a dent in the floor.

After a moment's hesitation, she decided to check up on her friend. Carefully stepping over the massive bulk of the brute's arms, she leaned over his face, trying to gauge how much damage her kicks had done to him.

An instant later, she found out why that was a catastrophic mistake, as Gutsman, moving with a speed that disagreed his gigantic size, seized her around the neck, stood up, and held her at arms length.

Her arms scrabbling for even the slightest handhold in his iron-hard grip, Roll's vision began to go dark from the lack of Cyber O2. Desperately, she tried everything she knew, only to see Gutsman's huge fist raising up to strike her, wiping the life-force from her body as easily as one wipes dust from a counter.

The instant before the blow would have been launched, she tried one very sneaky trick.

Aiming carefully, she kicked as hard as she possibly could, aiming for the crest in the middle of the ugly navi's chest.

Now, you must understand something about netnavis. Every single one, from the tallest to the shortest, fattest to thinnest, youngest to oldest, has a crest positioned somewhere in the middle of the body. This is possibly the most important part of the Navi, as about ninety percent of all data in the netnavi is held there. Some navis, such as Bass, can survive damage to the crest. However, in all cases where the crest is damaged, it results in damage to the mind of the navi, and almost always results in the navi's deletion.

In the case of what Roll did to Gutsman, it had a similar effect to kicking a male between the legs.

Dropping Roll to the ground, the brute howled in complete and utter agony.

Acting without thinking, Roll dropped to one knee, and molded her arm.

Her forearm was now vaguely oval in shape, with twin bent sticks aiming off. These were attached to an arrow with a pink, heart-shaped arrowhead by a silver, slightly glowing string that was stretched taut.

Taking careful aim at the monstrosity, she breathed a near-silent prayer that whatever deities existed (and the soul of her friend) would forgive her for what she was about to do.

Like a bullet from a gun, the arrow left the bow. Soaring only a short distance through the air, it managed to reach Gutsman just as he looked up, looking straight down the shaft of the arrow.

The arrow flew straight into his forehead, and kept on going until it reached the back of his head, where it exploded outwards and into his enormous bulk. Continuing onwards, it passed through, exiting around the knee, and coming to a rest, quivering, in the wall.

Meanwhile, Gutsman, his core data hopelessly compromised, began spewing data out of the holes that Roll had managed to create, spraying everywhere.

Only two words escaped his lips.

"I… Lost…?"

Finally, he de-rezzed completely, a digitized voice proclaiming, "Gutsman: Deleted."

Tears streaked down the pink navi's face, some splashing along her bow, others moistening her boots, but the vast majority forming a small puddle on the ground.

She was snapped out of her sadness by a moan from behind her.

Turning swiftly, she brought her bow to bear on whatever foe was stupid enough to cross a woman scorned.

However, all she saw was our friend Zero, just waking up from his spell of unconsciousness, brought on by one of Gutsman's surprise shockwaves.

Rushing to his aid, our leading lady rushed to his side.

"Zero? Are you all right?"

He responded in a slightly slurred voice. "Yeah, officer, I'm okay, but didja get the liscence plate of that truck?"

Roll gave a small smile.

"Come on, we're almost home."

Sithking Zero: Sorry that if this chapter wasn't up to the standards of the other chapters, I finished writing this at 11:15 P.M.

Please review. You know you want to…


	11. Remorse and Recovery

Sithking Zero: I don't own Megaman.

We're getting a new Parakeet! His/her name (we don't know if it's a boy or a girl yet; the little thing's too young) is going to be Elwood (after one of the Blues Brothers) or Eli.

On with the next chapter!

Chapter 11:

Reunion and Problems

To review: In the last chapter, Roll and Zero were almost out of the huge underground hideout of Sigma, the Maverick Lord. Suddenly, Gutsman, who was infected with the Maverick Virus (which takes over the enemy and enslaves them to Sigma), appeared and attempted to kill our dashing heroes. He succeded in knocking out Zero briefly, but was shortly killed by Roll in self-defense. Then Zero woke up.

Continuing on…

Roll, supporting Zero, lurched out of the hole in the ground that led into the dark lair of the Mavericks.

The two Net Savors laid down on the grass for a moment, taking in deep breaths of the sweet, crisp night air.

Finally, Zero, who had finally recovered from his concussion, turned to Roll.

"Roll?"

"Yeah, Zero?"

"Wanna head back to my place? I bet Matt and Maylu are worried."

"Sure. Do you have a guest bedroom?"

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

In the real world…

Matt was pacing.

This pacing was very unusual for him, as he knew that if anyone could dive headfirst into an enemy base and come back alive, his best friend and navi, Zero could.

Especially when backed up by the six Rhakshi and a friendly, powerful Net Savor, such as Roll.

However, he was still nervous. His gut instinct was telling him that something exceptionally bad was about to happen. And his gut instinct was never wrong.

He turned to share this with his friend and fellow netop, Maylu, but was unable to due to one small problem.

Maylu was fast asleep on his couch.

Her hair was slightly askew, and several strands were draped over her eyes, which were moving despite their being closed, indicating that she was having a dream. She was curled up into a small ball, shivering slightly from a vent directly above her head.

Silently, Matt reached behind the sofa and pulled out a blanket.

It was a soft, slightly worn blanket, powder-blue and large enough to have a nice picnic on. Gently, he placed the blanket over her, and her shaking stopped.

Turning back to the kitchen, he looked at the clock.

He did a double take.

_It was three in the morning and Zero and Roll had not come back_.

That was when Matt _knew_ that something was wrong. Horrible thoughts began to run through his head, culminating in a particularly gruesome image of Zero being eaten alive by Sigma. Deciding that he had waited long enough, he reached down to his red-and-white PET, only to discover…

"Hi, Matt. Can I speak to Maylu?"

A pink netnavi with blonde hair was giving him a sort of bleary-eyed smile. Holding on to her shoulder for support was none other then his own treasured navi, Zero.

Both navis looked much the worse for wear; both had burn marks, cuts, scars, and what looked like about a year's worth of dirt covering them.

He thought of a hundred things to say to his best friend, but none would do better then a simple, "You feeling okay, Z?"

Zero gave him a nasty look, but everyone could tell it was in good humor.

"Aside from the cuts, the concussion, and pain in every nerve ending in my body, I'm fine. How about you, Roll?"

"About the same. How about you, Matt?"

Matt felt a large lump in his chest collapse, and he was able to breathe easily again. However…

"Zero…"

"Yes?"

"What happened to the Rhakshi? I thought that they were supposed to be watching you two. Did they run off to eat viruses again?"

Roll couldn't meet Matt's inquiring eyes, and he saw Zero stiffen. Slowly, the previously banished knot of tension came back…

Seven Hours Later…

Maylu Sakurai woke up at around nine o'clock. Stretching, she felt the powder-blue blanket slide gently off.

Looking at her PET for any sign of her missing friend, she almost stopped herself, briefly thinking of the feeling of loss she would feel if her best friend wasn't there.

Ignoring the nagging doubts that haunted her, she took her pink-and-red PET and stared into the screen, hoping against all odds that her Netnavi was alive and well.

To her intense joy, her Navi was there, but sleeping.

Maylu cried out in her happiness, "ROLL!"

Roll bolted upright, still sleepy.

"Maylu, do you have to yell? I'm still kinda tired from last night."

Maylu, noticing the dirt, grime, and damage Roll had acquired, immediately began to fuss over each and every single one of her injuries and maladies.

"Roll! Are you okay? Did you catch the kidnapper? How'd you get those injuries? Where's Zero? Hold on, I think that I have a recovery chip…"

Roll was temporarily overwhelmed by the barrage of questions that her beloved Netop launched at her. Quickly regaining her composure, she managed to get a word in edgewise.

"Maylu, I'm okay, No, I fought Protoman and Gutsman, and Zero, well…"

The pink navi paused for a moment, then gestured towards the kitchen.

Matt was holding his face in his hands, face-down on the table, his back moving up and down in quiet sobs. Zero, from his PET stand, looked on and tried to comfort his best friend.

Quietly, Maylu stood up and walked over to her Net Savor partner.

"Matt? What's wrong?"

Matt looked up briefly, but he was not a pretty sight. He hadn't slept a wink all night, he hadn't showered, and he had been crying hard all night. In terms of people who didn't know Matt well, his hair was greasy, his eyes were bloodshot and rimmed with dark circles, and they were bloodshot and puffy.

He spoke in a hoarse whisper.

"They're gone."

"Who?" Maylu asked.

"The Rhakshi. They… They died like heroes. Zero just told me. They died trying to take down a Maverick army general."

He broke down into sobs again.

Zero gave him a sympathetic look.

"The Rhakshi are dead," he announced blandly, emotionlessly. "They died fighting Protoman, and we finished him off."

Maylu's mind was whirling. Protoman was evil? It made no sense to her.

Turning to her reliable navi, Maylu began to ask what was going on, when Roll put out a hand, effectively silencing her netop.

"There's a navi called Sigma," Roll began, "who has a way to brainwash navis and turn them into his slaves. We barely escaped, but we had to kill Gutsman and Protoman."

Maylu stared openmouthed at Roll.

"You beat Protoman? I'm impressed, Roll."

Roll blushed slightly, then replied, "I just distracted him. Zero killed him."

Zero gave a stiff nod, then returned to his vigilant watch over his emotionally distraught netop.

Maylu, after a moment's hesitation, sat down next to her partner.

Speaking softly, she tried to comfort the sobbing boy next to her.

"It's okay, Matt…" she began, in as soothing of a voice as possible.

"No it's not."

"Sure it is. Look on the bright side."

Matt turned to look at her with a glare.

"Like what?"

It took Maylu a couple seconds to think of a response to this, and when she did respond, it was uncertain at first, but gained strength and power with each word.

"Well… we know who we're facing… and Zero and Roll survived! Not to mention that we know where Sigma's hideout is…"

Slowly, Matt stopped crying, his sobs dying down to gentle hiccup or two, then down to an occasional sniffle.

Finally, he sat up, his eyes still red, but overall, he looked much happier.

"Thanks. I needed that."

Maylu smiled slightly. "You're welcome."

For a moment, no one spoke.

Then, Maylu got up, saying, "Well, I have to go. My parents are coming home from their vacation today, and I want to make the house look a little nicer."

"Okay. See you later!"

"Bye!"

--- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- --- ---

In a darkened cavern, a huge force of Netnavis, Programs, and Viruses gathered their strength.

"Your assignments are clear. You know what to do. We shall attack in three days."

A female voice rang out.

"GLORY TO LORD SIGMA!"

The cry was repeated, then redoubled, until the entire army roared with the chant.

"GLORY TO LORD SIGMA! GLORY TO LORD SIGMA! GLORY TO LORD SIGMA!"

The first speaker leaned over to his second in command, who was the second speaker.

"Nice work. You should be promoted."

The female smiled. It managed to catch the light reflected off of her antennae.

Sithking Zero: Good god, that was the worst chapter that I've ever written.

Please Read and Review, because not every chapter is as bad as this filler crud.


	12. Author's Note

Important Author's Note

To my fellow authors and readers,

I am sorry. I cannot continue this story. Even though it is my first fanfiction, I have run out of inspiration and drive to finish it. I'm sorry.

Someday, If I ever get the inspiration back, I may work on this again. So until further notice, this story is on hiatus.

If you would like to continue the story for me, I'll send over all the necessary data concerning the rest of the stories concerned with it. Just PM me.

Well, everyone, it was a good run, but I'm afraid that I have to end it for me. Goodbye.


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